Rule device



A. UDELL RULE` DEVICE Jan. 3, 1939.

Filed July l, 1936 INVENTOR Gm UDELL. BY

` ATTORNW lPatented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RULE DEVICE Arthur Udell, Sayville, N. Y.

Application July 1, 1936, Serial No. 88,269

2 Claims. (Cl. 33-138) 'Ihis invention relates to new and useful immounted in the casing and are adapted to guide provements in a rule device. the winding of the steel tape I2 as hereinafter The invention has for an object the construcfurther described. tion of a rule device which is characterized by an The steel tape I2 is constructed of flexible ma- 5 oblong casing having a slot in one end for an terial and is guided against one side of the casing extending steel tape and housing a pair of op- I0 by the proper location of the slot I`I alignedl posed hollowed out blocks longitudinally slidably therewith. Thus the steel tape is in intimate mounted therein adapted to guide the winding of Contact with this side and passes the adjacent a steel tape when forced inwards through said Side of the block I3. The hollowed out block I4 slot. has its hollow portion aligned to receive the steel 10 Still further the invention proposes to resiltape as it is forced inwards along the side of the iently mount said hollowed out blocks so that the casing. This side of the casing is indicated by tape is assisted in assuming the wound position. reference numeral Illa. The tape is then forced A further object of the invention resides in the around the hollow' of the block I4 and follows l5 association of a level and a plumb with the casing. the contour of the other side of the casing,v indi- 15 Still further the invention proposes the assocated by reference numeral Ib. From there ciation of a stiff rule with the casing which may it is forced to follow the contour of the hollow of be extended at right angles thereto and form a the block I3, and in this manner it is wound up. square, or may be angularly extended to form a 'Ihe inner end of the tape I2 is provided'with zu bevel. a block I4 which prevents its complete removal 20 A further object of the invention resides in through the slot I I. The outer end of the tape the provision of a novel catch for holding the is provided with a stop and gauge element: I5 steel tape extended to various positions. which preventsl the outer endfrom slipping into Still further the invention proposes the associthe casing. This element I5 and the end" poration of a slot on the outer extremity of the steel tion of the tape are provided with aligned elon- 25 tape into whichapencil may be engaged to faciligated slots I6 into which the point of a pencil tate the use of the rule device. may be engaged for measuring oif distances.

Another object of the invention is the con- The element I5 is of angle form hingedly mountstruction of an article as described which is ed at one end I5a so it may fold back.

simple and durable and which may be manufac- In order that the steel tape does not become 30 tured and sold at areasonable cost. jammed between the blocks I3 and I4, these For further comprehension of the invention, blocks are resiliently mounted. The block I4 is and of the objects and advantages thereof, refurged towards the block I3 by a spring I8 intererence will be had to the following description posed between the end of the casing and the and accompanying drawing, and to the appended end of the block. The block I3 is urged towards 35 claims in which the various novel features of the the block I4 by a spring I9 interposed between invention are more particularly set forth. the block I3 and indirectly with the other end In the accompanying drawing forming a maof the casing. terial Dart 0f this dSClOSureI- A means is provided for latching the tape I2 Fig 1 iS a perspective View of a rule device in any extended position. This means comprises 40 constructed according to this invention. a pivotally mounted member 20 having an end Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken 0n 20a adapted to wedge against the tape I2. The the line 2--2 0f Fg- 1 member 20 has side lugs 2I engaged by a pin 22 Fig. 2a. is a fragmentary enlarged detailed View engaging the side Walls of a depressed portion of a portion of Fig. 24 specically showing the end Ille in the end of the casing. Thus the member 45 of the tape shown in this ligure. 20 is pivotally mounted. The other end of the Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view member 20 is provided with a button head 20c taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. which may be manually depressed to pivot the Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of a member to inoperative position. This button 20c portion of the steel tape. connects with a stem 23 extending into the casing 50 The rule device, according to this invention, I0 and connected with a support 24 which supcomprises an oblong casing Ill having a slot II ports the spring I9. It is the spring I9 Vwhich in one end through which a steel tape I2 may pivots the member 20 and urges it into operative be extended. A pair of opposed hollowed out locking position. The block I3 is formed with blocks I3 and I4 are longitudinally slidably several slots 25 engaged by pins 26 projecting 55 from the casing I and serving to limit the possible motion thereof.

The casing I 0 has one of its Walls, the wall IUd, constructed especially thick. This thick Wall is formed with a. recess 28 communicating with one side. A stiff rule 29 is disposed within this recess. This stiff rule-is pivotally mounted at one end by a. rivet 30. It is adapted to be extended to various angular positions and to the right angle position indicated by the dot and dash lines in Fig. 1. In this latter position it may be used as a square.

A level 3I is mounted upon the top face of the casing I0 at the center. A plumb 32 is mounted also on the top face of the casing I0 but transverse to the level 3|. This level and plumb are constructed according to conventional practice and for this reason the details thereof will not be given in this specification.

The casing I0 has one side, namely the side IIId, formed with an inch scale 33. The top face of the casing is also formed with an inch scale 34. Preferably, the casing I0 should be approximately 8 long and the rule 29V 6" long. The steel rule I2 preferably should be formed with a double scale 35a and 35h, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The scale 35a gives the distance from the outer end of the rule to the near side of the casing I 0. 'Ihe scale 35h starts at 8 because the casing I0 is 8" long and therefore at the near side of the casing I0 gives the distance from the end of the rule to the remote end of the casing III. The corners of the casing ID are formed with angle openings 38a and 38h through which the nails 4U may be passed. 'I'hese nails may secure the .device to some article to be leveledA or plumbed. Y v

The operation of the device is as follows:-

The head 20c of the lever 20 may be depressed to free the rule I2 which then may be pulled out to any desired amount. While the member 29 is inoperative the rule I2 may be forced inwards and automatically wound as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The rule will follow the sides of the casing and the hollowed opposed ends of the operative locking position.

blocks I3 and I4. It cannot become stuck or jammed due to the resilient mounting of the blocks.

The rule device may be used Wherever measuring and similar operations are necessary.

While I have illustrated and described my invention with some degree of particularity, I realize that in practice various alterations therein may be made. I therefore reserve the right and privilege of changing the form of the details of construction or otherwise altering the arrangement of the correlated parts Without departing from the spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

YHaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:-

1. An extensible rule, including an oblong casing having a slot in one end, a pair of spaced blocks mounted in said casing for sliding movement towards and from each other, said blocks having facing semi-cylindrical hollowed-out portions, a coilable tape extending through said slot into said casing, said hollowed out portions acting to guide the tape into a coil as it is pushed into the casing, and means for resiliently urging at least one block toward the other.

2. An extensible rule, including an oblong casing having a slot in one end, a pair of spaced blocks mounted in said casing for sliding movement toward and from each other, said blocks having facing semi-cylindrical hollowed out portions, a coilable tape extending through said slot into said casing said hollowed out portions acting to guide the'tape into a coil as it is pushed into the casing, a spring for resiliently urging one of said blocks toward the other, means for latching said tape in any extended position and including a pivotally mounted operator member, and a stem connecting said operator member with said spring so that the spring urges said latching means into ARTHUR UDELL. 

